The protection of individual creativity in the jewellery and watch industries, be it related to the design of jewellery, watches or gemstone cuts, or to the branding of collections and companies, came under the spotlight during a CIBJO Jewellery Industry Voices seminar, which took place on July 18, 2023, as part of Initiatives in Art and Culture’s 13th Annual Gold + Diamond Conference in New York.

The seminar was the first in a three-part series on the protection of intellectual property in the jewellery industry organized collaboratively with IAC, with the second seminar being held during the VicenzaOro Show in Vicenza, Italy, on September 10, 2023, and the third seminar taking place as part of the 2023 CIBJO Congress in Jaipur, India, on October 4, 2023, during the session of the CIBJO Ethics Commission.

The seminar series is part of a joint initiative by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and Initiatives in Art and Culture, the goal of the venture is to create in-depth educational programmes for the jewellery sector, comprised of seminars taking place at multiple events in different countries.

The series dealing with intellectual property is being organized together with the New York-based Jewelers Vigilance Committee. The seminar provided an overview of intellectual property from the perspective of the jewellery industry, and the various legal tools that are available to prevent its infringement.

Co-moderated by Lisa Koenigsberg, IAC President, and Steven Benson, CIBJO’s Communications Director, it mapped out the topic with the help of JVC President and CEO Tiffany Stevens and Sara Yood, JVC’s Deputy General Counsel at the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), who is an attorney with extensive experience in intellectual property law. They were joined by two prominent American jewellery designers, Jess Busiashvili and Bliss Lau, as well as Darrell G. Mottley, a patent attorney. The session was introduced by CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri.